Culture

By Michèle Bigler Photography Courtesy of Valli Art Gallery A new art gallery has popped up not too far from the Wynwood Walls, contributing to the continuous flourishing of a neighborhood that used to sport gray walls and run down buildings and is now an explosion of talent and color. In the past decade, Miami has undergone an astonishing transition that curators, artists, critics and enthusiasts are reveling in. Aside from the socialites, wine and “aperitifs” served at the Valli Art Gallery opening on Thursday, June 4th 2015, the work of five clever artists were exposed, all of which seemed to demonstrate a keen interest in human relationships and the incorporation of mixed media. The expo welcomed aficionados with two resplendent images by the Argentinean native Nina Surel and her ode to “sisterhood.” Her paintings set the tone of the pieces on display, by incorporating an escape from the traditional barriers of the canvas and embracing plastic techniques, which fundamentally create a commendable topography. The integration of assorted materials as a reference to identity and our times is most likely one of the defining physiognomies of our era. Surel herself has been quoted saying that “the characters embedded in these scenarios always precisely indicate an identity that lies half way between fiction and my flesh and blood, between mythology and autobiographical reality.” Subsequently, three portraits of women obfuscated by neon lights followed Surel’s “Fridaesque” and yet Grecian manifestations in the Javier Martin collection, which obligated the spectator to take a closer look of the models and perhaps see past the mainstream definition of beauty. The interference of the light screams at the onlooker pleading for further contemplation all the while signaling to our dependency on light and energy. Thereafter, a further awareness of the technologies that we take for granted came into play in Fabrizio Corneli’s installations; a series of strategically placed geometric shapes that come to life at the push of a button. It is thanks to the radiation of light that his pieces truly take shape and overshadow the more traditional paint on a white surface approach. He revolutionizes the canvas and gives art an innovative form of mobility and ultimately broadens habitual dimensions. Corneli’s shadows were consequently followed by the colorful geometric visions of graffiti artist Kenor, whom the Valli Art website identifies as “a self-confessed extraterrestrial, a born performer, Kenor’s organic, kaleidoscopic productions are geometric representations of sound and movement, visual interpretations of music and dance in two-dimensional form.” The poetic rendition of the man behind radiant hues truly captures the essence of Kenor’s abstract pieces. The show’s rendition to artistic multimedia integration would not have been complete without Olga Andrino’s canvases, which were a return to the topographic style introduced by Surel’s paintings. In spite of the similarity in the dimensions that both artists merge into their work, Andrino steers free of the overindulgence of color and truly exploits red and white tones provoking a somber anonymity to the figures in her work. This is particularly visible in “Muchedumbre” a piece that features wire, paper and newspaper and reminds one of the famous Ezra Pound haiku, “In a Station of the Metro”: The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough. Conclusively, the opening was a respectable start to what will contribute to the cultural growth of the Wynwood area. Its founding exposition accomplishes a poised and sensitive rendition to multimedia art and its producers. Ultimately, the Valli Art Gallery seems to pride itself on the promotion of artists’ careers identifying as “more than an art gallery,” perhaps a safe haven for painters and the like to explore, create and realize ideas. For more information on the Valli Art Gallery, please visit www.ValliArtLLC.com Click here to view this post in the July/August digital issue. Click here to view our online issue.